She eventually had to be put down by vets who could do nothing to ease her suffering.

RSPCA inspector Nicola Broster said Cleo was among the thinnest dogs she had come across.

She was one of the thinnest living dogs I have ever seen. I was horrified to see how thin and weak she was - I did not think it was possible that any living animal could be so underweight - she was merely skin and bone.

A court spokeswoman said McWilliams had been told to give Cleo treatment for her heart problem and an abdominal complaint but had failed to return to the vet, leaving the dog without treatment for two months